Bird planning to visit

Blake Keathley

07/26/2011

Jabari Bird is one of the top prospects in 2013 and his recruitment is starting to take shape. Read on to see where Arizona stands, other schools involved, and more.

As the summer heats up, so too does Jabari Bird. Bird continues to show why he is one of the top ranked players in the class of 2013. Despite already possessing a diverse and elite level skill set, Bird is using the summer before his junior season to continue to work on his game as a member of the Oakland Soldiers.

It's no surprise that as the third ranked shooting guard in the class of 2013, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Richmond (Calif.) Salesian High School is hearing from schools all across the country as the second evaluation period of the summer comes closer to an end.

With his list of suitors continuing to grow, the 10th ranked junior in the country has three schools that he is paying particular attention to.

"I recently named my favorite three of Washington, California, and Arizona," Bird said. "But that doesn't eliminate schools like Louisville, Colorado and other schools like that."

For Bird, each school has its own unique characteristic that makes it an appealing choice as a potential destination.

"Cal is really close to home and I feel like I can fit in and play really well over there," Bird said. "Washington is recruiting a lot of big time players in my class, and if I go over there and maybe some other 2013 kids go over there, we can build something great.

"Same thing with Arizona; Arizona is recruiting a lot of great players. If I go there, we can compete for national championships maybe."

While on the topic of Arizona, Bird had nothing but good things to say about the coaching staff for the Wildcats.

"The coaches at Arizona are great, I love them," Bird said. "Sean Miller is a really cool dude. I talk to him a lot as well as coach (Joe) Pasternack. He's a really good recruiter and I talk to him a lot. He's a real guy, he keeps it solid and he tells me the truth."

Bird has already visited California unofficially, and has plans to visit the other two schools in his top three before too long.

"I plan on taking visits to Arizona, Washington, and Cal of course," Bird said. "I may get a visit to Colorado, but those are the main ones I'm thinking right now. The ones I'm trying to plan, the most important ones are Arizona and Washington since I've already taken an unofficial to Cal."

With more offers inevitably on the way, Bird has no plans of beginning the process of making a final decision.